The Reluctance of Rising from the Ashes
by Isabella of the Night
Summary: Two years after Oban, Eva was living a normal life and wishing for adventure. Be careful what you wish for. Thanks to a misunderstanding, Eva is forced to go on a run with a handsome stranger who claims to be a cursed prince. Not only that, there's a time limit on the curse. Meanwhile, trouble is brewing in the universe.
1. Prolouge Avalonia

**A/n**- Hello, everyone! Well, yesterday I freaked out because I thought I lost my flashdrive and in my darkest hours I wrote this fanfic. Now, if my Moon's Inheritance readers are reading this and going "Wth? You bitch! Why aren't you updating the story you wrote in 2008?"

Uh...yeah, working on the next chapter and trying to get back the obsession I had for Oban Star Racers. I am looking at my outline and figuring out how to finish writing the next chapter because its half finished.

Back to this new fanfic, I had this idea floating in my head for a while and thought to post it up. Though I recently got back into reading OSR fanfic, I haven't see stories such as this one but I could be wrong.

Another thing is that this story is influenced by Howl's moving Castle (movie), The Beauty and the Beast (or that Beastly movie but I haven't seen it yet.), and The Princess and the Frog. However, though it takes bits, nonetheless it will be (I hope) an original fanfic of mine.

This will be an Eva/OC story but should I ever get to the sequel (-.-') it will then turn to Eva/Aikka.

Enjoy!

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><p><em>The Reluctance of Rising from the Ashes<em>

Summary- Two years after Oban, Eva needs to get her life in order. When she is forced to go on the run thanks to a misunderstanding, Eva must help a disgraced prince break his curse and get his life together all the while figuring out what she wants to do. What worries Eva is the fact that she not only has a short amount of time to help the prince, she may also just have a thing for princes. Eva/oc

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><p><span>Prolouge<span>- **Avalonia**

In the galaxy of Earth there were not eight planets but nine*. Hidden in the shadows of the galaxy was Avalonia.

Avalonia once touched a small portion of Earth for a while and soon drifted away from Earth, not liking the dark greed of its people but it had been enough as legends throughout centuries told about the isle of Avalon with its priestesses, its magical presence.

That isle of Avalon was only an isle of Avalonia. The planet was like Earth, only more beautiful as its occupants took what they needed only and practiced magic that would have made the Earthian witches, enchantresses, wizards, warlocks, and etc. flush with envy. As would any other species.

Though Avalonia was close to Earth, it was never discovered by nosy astronauts like that Crog situation for it was heavily guarded by magical barriers.

Magical barriers that concealed its location and protected the Avalonian people from attacks. Only the royals were the only people who had enough power to manage the barriers.

It is rumored that one royal had been enough for the barriers and that long ago; the King or Queen had been that one. But soon the jealous royal siblings, the aunts, the uncles, the cousins, rose up against their monarch and demanded equality. Why should the monarch have everything after all? After a long battle, the monarch conceded and the planet lived in harmony for many centuries.

Until now.

The current rulers of Avalonia had been lucky. Theirs had been a marriage of convenience that later turned into true love. Back then, Queen Lyai had needed a consort, King Eshma had wanted to be king. Luck continued in their marriage as they were given five princes and two princesses. The princes themselves were envy of any king as all of them stood out in the kingdom. Had they to choose which one to be the Heir, it would have been difficult. However, the Heir was the first-born son and he was…..perfect to say the least.

However, tragedy stroke and the fourth prince, beloved by the entire planet, was forced to flee. Disgraced and his inheritance taken away, he fled to Earth, the closest planet. Unfortunately, he had not been quick enough and a curse shattered him. Still he managed all the same to enter Earth and hide away from his enemies.

He was a prince of Avalonia, used to the luxury of the Palace and the eyes of the people. He is not used to being poor and ignored. He is now a street person of Earth, sleeping under bridges and scavenging trash for food.

Two months later, he slumps down in a dark alley in the Earthian capital and sleeps deeply. A few hours later, he is awaken by the slamming of a door.

It is here that the tale begins.

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><p><strong>An**- Well? What did you think? The name Avalonia is the same thing as Avalon but its in Latin I think. Thank you for reading!

*- If you are old like me (lol) then you have grown up learning nine planets in our galaxy. However last year, they were saying on the news that the discovered either more planets or that Pluto was never a planet but had to be a- well whatever they call it now. Either way, the news was that we now have eight planets. Just so no one is confused or I'm probably the one who is. Please tell me if I'm wrong.


	2. The Shifting of Balance

**A/n**- Thank to the people who reviewed! This is for you! And it's longer :)

Once more, this story will only have the ultimate wish, there is no evil Caneletto, Creators, and etc...yet. May come up later. Except for Avatar Jordan, because Jordan is needed to be normal.

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my disgraced prince. That is all.

Enjoy!

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><p><em>The Reluctance of Rising from the Ashes<em>

Summary- Two years after Oban, Eva needs to get her life in order. When she is forced to go on the run thanks to a misunderstanding, Eva must help a disgraced prince break his curse and get his life together all the while figuring out what she wants to do. What worries Eva is the fact that she not only has a short amount of time to help the prince, she may also just have a thing for princes. Eva/oc

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><p><span>Chapter One<span>- **The Shifting of Balance**

Eva was not a normal girl.

Sure you might look at her in the streets and disagree. Though dressed rebelliously, nonetheless she did not stand out among her companions. What made her different was inside her. Look into her eyes and see the pure restlessness of her soul. Also she was the champion of Oban.

Though nobody knew it, the people of Earth owed their lives to Eva for she had raced in dire circumstances to win the ultimate prize. She wished for strength and protection for Earth as Don Wei told her to ask for.

For Eva, it had been weird and distorting to have returned to Earth. She had gotten used to seeing intergalaxy figures conversing under the sky and racing in life or death situations. She saw the people of Earth and wondered why no other species lived with them.

She is claustrophobic now of cities crowded with people. She had grown used to cities spaced out, only slightly crowded. However it was in the crowded capital of Earth she lived in with her estranged father.

Eva thought the problems between them would have resolved quickly but instead both of them had danced around them, touching each subject lightly when necessary. For the next two years they lived comfortably with each other as they can and had normal fights about everything: curfew, boys, school, etc.

In turn her life had gotten boring. Eva wished she could reminisce with someone about Oban but there was no one to really talk to. On coming back, Jordan had returned to the army and only an occasional postcard every now and then gave Eva evidence that he still remembered. Rick too had disappeared to "find himself" again. Every year around the time they left for Alwas he would write a long letter about racing techniques she had to practice and ones he had seen in his travels. In the end he would mention training she had to do to be better. The last letter had been sent from Brazil.

Out of all the Earth Team, Stan and Koji had not changed. They went back doing what they had been doing before Oban and became successful because of it. Whenever she stopped by, they would let her race their new creation and test it out. In short, they doted on her like grandparents basically.

She had grown restless after two years of trying to live normally and comfortably. Eva herself bore signs of it as her hair was now a cherry red, her nose had a piercing, and she had a tattoo on her stomach and another one on her wrist. Eva talked back often and it was normal for her to stroll in at 7 am in the morning in her house. Where she felt at home was on the racing track, where if she closed her eyes for a moment she could pretend she was racing for the ultimate wish again.

After all, her wish had never been granted.

It was a Friday morning when she finally snapped. Don Wei had dropped her off in front of the high school she went to and she was heading towards her group of friends when she stopped.

Suddenly her feet were going the opposite direction and she ran. How could it be that she could try to fool herself? She was never one for routines and never will be.

_'I was meant for something else.' _Eva realized.

With that realization she skipped school and went to the tracks where she met up with Pancake.

Okay, well, his name wasn't Pancake but nobody really knew his real name not even the government. The reason why Eva knew that was because she had seen the International IRS refer to him as Mr. Pancake Williams. Legend on the street was that Pancake's mother had given him such an awful name that when he was little, he demanded that everyone call him Pancake after his favorite food. When his mother died, so had his real first name and every trace of evidence such as birth certificates and etc.

"Molly! What up girl? It's been a while since you've been around here!" shouted Pancake as he stumbled towards her.

He had been the unbeatable racer until she came along. When she beat him, he started drowning his disappointment in strong alcohol such as vodka because "if you're gonna drink, you have to really drink."

Whatever. He could have just trained harder or something and make an effort to get his title back.

It was here that Eva could be Molly, the budding racer who won the greatest race ever. Hearing her "name" made her think of Spirit, Aikka, Jordan, and the unknown horizon of fate.

All that day she raced for something, for an adventure to take her everywhere and nowhere. When she got home, it was already dark and her father was waiting in the hall for her.

"Where have you been?" he started, his arms crossed and his back straighten rigidly.

"None of your business. I'm eighteen already! Why can't you stop breathing down my neck?" countered Eva, angrily.

They had the usual argument which usually ended in her stomping up the stairs and slamming her door. In the morning they would sit in cold silence until the afternoon where they would talk to each other as if nothing happened the night before.

This time, however, she turned around and went back out. Ignoring the shouts of her father to get back in the house, she slammed the door with all her might.

The slam of the door echoed through the night as Eva ran throughout the neighborhood. She had the idea of going to Pancake's house but in his house there was always a party and she would never get some sleep so she turned to go into a side alley.

Taking the alley at night in the capital was dangerous because there was always illegal racing going on through the city during the night. All the drivers love to use the alleys as a shortcut and Eva happened to know that through the end of this alley she was in, there was a bus stop a little over to get her to Rick's penthouse.

Eva had the key and was supposedly "house-sitting" for Rick. However, they both knew it was a safe haven for her to go to when she needed to be alone. Rick had sent her the key when he was traveling in Italy in the first year of his traveling.

She was halfway through the alley when she suddenly tripped over something. Automatically, swear words came out of her mouth.

It is here, where the new adventure Eva so craved for, begins.

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><p><strong>An**- So yeah, I hope you enjoy! Next chapter will be shorter unfortuantely. Review to tell me what you think-love it, hate it, What was I thinking?, and etc.


	3. Chance Meeting

A/N- Thanks to those who reviewed! I'm so happy. Unfortunately this chapter is shorter than the others but hopefully it is good.

Enjoy!

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><p><em>The Reluctance of Rising from the Ashes<em>

Summary- Two years after Oban, Eva needs to get her life in order. When she is forced to go on the run thanks to a misunderstanding, Eva must help a disgraced prince break his curse and get his life together. What worries Eva is the fact that she only has a short amount of time to help the prince but also the fact that she may just have a thing for princes. Eva/oc

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><p><span>Chapter 2<span>- _Chance Meeting_

She looked behind to see what she had tripped over. Two long pale legs wrapped in silk rags extended from the darkness of the wall. She knew the legs were pale from the dark contrast they made against the dirty feet. The legs stirred and moved as the person's head emerged from the shadows. He blinked sleepily at her and rubbed his eyes to see her better.

In the soft moonlight, his facial features were clear and the girlish side of Eva squealed in delight before fainting.

White-Blond hair pooled to his shoulders as golden eyes stared at her. He had fine facial features that would have made anyone hesitate at punching him were it not for a type of hardness to his face. From his right ear, a crystal dangled. His clothes were dirty and torn but Eva knew they were expensive. He had no shoes and looked to be slightly older than her.

Making eye contact, she unleashed all her anger from the fight to the poor man.

"Damn you! What kind of bum are you? To leave your feet sticking out at night in the alley! Don't you know, idiot, that people drift race in the alleys? You idiot!" she shouted, raising one foot as if she was about to kick him for being foolish.

Instead she goes on and on about how dangerous it was to be in the alleys. She knows because Pancake had once almost run over in the night. Suddenly she sees the face of the man and noticed he wasn't even paying attention to her. That made her more angry and she raised a fist as if to strike him into paying attention.

However, Eva turned and stomped away. Let that idiot get run over! Why did she care? She did not look back to see the startled look on the stranger's face.

0o0o0

He had awaken to an echoing slam of a door. Shifting his weight, he stretched out his legs to bring back feeling to them when he dozed off again.

Until he felt something tug on the side of his legs and heard a heavy thud near him. He opened his eyes and saw an earthian girl spewing curses from her mouth.

She had long red hair down to her waist. She wore what he now knew to be a school uniform. She would reach his shoulders had he stood up when she did. She seemed athletically built but he could not be sure from the poor light in the alley. When she looked at him, he was taken back by the bright redness of her eyes and the anger in them. He had thought the anger of his Queen Mother was formidable until he met this girl. Hers was an anger that can devour a person. On her face were tattoos one a stripe and the other a star.

Suddenly she started shouting at him and waving her arms before jabbing a finger in his direction. Being a part of Earth once, the Avalonian language had pieces of the English language as well as others. Unfortunately, this was no help to the prince as we all know; languages evolve with people and time.

He does get the gist of what the girl's rant and know what "idiot" (along with other unpleasant vulgar words) as people shouted it often at him when he arrived on Earth. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees the hands of the small compass he has spinning around* and frowns.

His enemies were getting closer. He senses them near and somehow he knows that they have seen him with the girl.

They would probably try to get rid of her.

Heart pounding, he turned to communicate to the girl that she should run for safety while he dealt with his enemies and his face dropped in shock.

The alley was empty once more.

With his sharp hearing, he hears her walking away and getting on that peculiar transportation…the bus was it? Quickly he muttered an incantation, one of the few he invented and ran. He hoped it took them by surprise as the spell was one of forgetfulness. It would do him no good if he had to deal with them going after an innocent.

In fact, it'll make him run out of time. Time he did not have to be someone's caretaker.

By now, he knows the entire city and though he tries to advoid the alleys at night, he woves through the streets in a attempt to confuse his enemies. He woves through them as if he was Prince of Earth instead of Prince of Avalonia. At last, the compass calms down and points only to the north but the prince does not stop until he is far away from his last destination.

As the prince once more slumped behind a huge trash can to hide and sleep, he thought of the earth girl with fiery hair before sleep captured him. Despite it all, he hopes to see her again and talk to her for she intrigues him.

0o0o0

At Rick's house, Eva lets herself in and collapses on the couch. She muses on the trouble in store for her tomorrow with her father and falls asleep, thinking up ways to apologize without hurting her pride. She thought no more of the foreign bishounen idiot who resembles a fairy-tale prince.

In fact, she dreams instead of a real prince with blue piercing eyes and a hesitant smile. One who valued the old traditions of honor and peace. A prince who promised her to show his kingdom and never did.

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><p>AN- Yes! Slight E/A right there! No? Fine. Thanks for reading and tell me what you think as usual. Ugh, I had struggles trying to name my prince. I was going to go with Amar but...dammit Eva already has a prince with a letter A! So in the end, I finally named him and you'll see it next chapter hopefully.

*- In Howl's Moving Castle, Howl has this type of wind chime thingy up in his room. It only moves and chimes when his enemy is looking for him and getting close if I remember correctly. Here, it is a compass and does the same thing for the prince. It warns him when enemies get too close.


	4. Seeing

A/N- Yes! Another chapter up! However, it gave me trouble so I feel this chapter is choppy and rushed. Just a little warning.

Thanks to all who reviewed and also to those silent readers!

Enjoy.

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><p><em>The Reluctance of Rising from the Ashes<em>

Summary- Two years after Oban, Eva needs to get her life in order. When she is forced to go on the run thanks to a misunderstanding, Eva must help a disgraced prince break his curse and help him get his life together. What worries Eva is the fact that she only has a short amount of time to help the prince but also the fact that she may just have a thing for princes. Eva/oc

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><p><span>Chapter 3<span> – _Seeing_

Though Eva was eighteen and an adult, the fact still remained that she had to go to school until she graduated. While school would end for the graduating class today, that still meant no one should be late for class. Or else they would have to stay after school and clean the classroom.

Unfortunately for Eva, she was very late for class. She blamed Jordan because his postcard had come in and she was caught surprised by what it told her. It had been one of those museum postcards from France and had only one sentence. Not even a sentence! All it had was a date which Eva knew from the vague hints he conveyed throughout the short details he wrote about himself that it meant Jordan was being moved to the capital.

Quickly, she wove through the crowds expertly, as she has been late (or nearly) many times before. She pushed fiercely against those who dared to stand in the middle of the sidewalk chatting. She leaped over fire hydrants, trash cans, dogs, and darted around baby carriages.

She was glad she went with the boys' uniform which eliminated the worry of wondering if her underwear was showing during this run. With the natural speed of the racer she was, she managed to get in the crowded train that was supposed to take her to a half block away from the school.

Squeezing through the crowd of people, Eva cried, "Marco?"

Nothing except blank stares and the blaring of rap music from someone's headphones.

More loudly, she shouted, "Marco!"

"Polo!" responded two voices.

'_Finally._' thought Eva as she pushed and excused her way in the direction of the voices.

After a couple of more "Marco? Polo!"s , Eva stood in front of her friends. Samara and Sarah were identical twins who loved to pretend to be one another and other people. They were Eva's best friends for two years now.

"Cutting it a bit close aren't we, Eva?" Samara asked as she made a 'give me' gesture to her sister.

Sarah sighed and took out a few eulars* from her delicate wristlet purse before handing it over to Samara.

"Dammit, why couldn't you have caught the bus or something?" grumbled Sarah.

At this, Eva just shook her head. The twins loved to bet on anything and everything. Eva was one of their favorites to bet on everyday besides teachers.

"So? I would've been more late and gotten detention! Then we wouldn't be able to go to that physic later on!" retorted Eva, slightly leaning on her right foot as the train screeched to a stop.

In no time, the train pulled up to the station Eva and her friends were supposed to get off at.

The twins both made 'duh' faces to one another before they got up from their seats. Together they pushed and shoved their way to the entrance and a second after their feet touched the platform of the station, they ran in the direction of the school.

Once in the courtyard, Eva waved goodbye to her friends and went straight for an open window on the first floor. Eva was lucky to have her class on the first floor and did not even hesitate as she placed her hands firmly on the windowsill before twisting her body to swing her legs up in the air.

With a soft tap on the floor as her feet touched it, Eva smoothed down any wrinkles on her uniform before sitting in her assigned seat. Her teacher just looked up, saw her, and went back to reading the paper. Since it was the last day of required school, he didn't give her the usual, "Just because the window is open doesn't mean…" lecture.

Before, he actually used to give her detention but since she kept on doing it, he gave up and starting lecturing.

Eva settled into her chair and closed her eyes while the rest of the class chatted and gossiped about the plans for the summer. She thought about what had happened when she got back to the house yesterday morning after running away basically.

Which was nothing. That morning she walked into the house like normal though her heart had been pounding and secretly she was already wincing from the lecture that was to come. Her father had been seated at the kitchen table, reading the newspaper and drinking coffee. He looked up when she entered the room, and like they didn't even had an arguement the night before, murmurred, "You're late for breakfast."

And went back to reading the newspaper. Eva had just stood there, dumbfounded with shock and disbelief. Combine that with the postcard from Jordan, no wonder she had been almost late.

When the bell rang, the teacher calmly folded his newspaper neatly before standing up authoritatively.

Immediately, the classroom quieted down and he began to speak.

"These are the last class announcements you will hear and listen very closely!"

Eva, along with the rest of her classmates, began to let her mind wonder.

And she wondered if that foreign homeless guy had been run over yet.

Served him right.

0o0o0

He stared at his reflection and smiled. He thought briefly of the red-haired girl from the alley and wondered what she would say or do if she should see him now. The thought of her reaction gave him pleasure and turned to the side.

"I shall like to buy this." He announced regally to the swooning saleswoman besides him.

To himself, he frown mentally. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get the hang of the new language of earth even with a tiny amount of his magic. However, he had to admit he had progressed since last night where he barely understood anything.

The saleswoman nodded and cut the sales tags out gently. She was reminded of her favorite movie Aladdin, how the pauper got fancy clothes on and bam! Instant prince.

Just like this mysterious hottie next to her.

And to think when he had entered the store, dressed in rags like a homeless person, she had been ready to call security. As she rang the purchases up, she snuck looks at him and wondered how he came to be in that state.

For he stood up straight and tall like the politicians of the Earth Coalition, the way he gives off the vibe of being catered to all his life. She would have thought him a politician's son if it hadn't been for the almost broken, hesitant accent he had when he spoke the common language of earth.

That's when the saleswoman began to wonder if he was one of those people who refused to let go of the past and spoke in the old languages of before. Which reminded her…

"May I ask your name?" said the saleswoman curiously, looking up at him.

"I am Shane." He told her smoothly without blinking an eye. He was a royal and often occasions called for lying truths.

This was one of them unfortunately.

"How would you like to pay, Mr. Shane?" she asked staring into his eyes.

Tilting his head to the side, crystal earring dangling and catching light, he said confusingly, "I just did."

The crystal light dazzled the poor saleswoman before she blinked and said, "You're right, sorry for that."

He inclined his head to a bow before he turned and walked out the door, ignoring the swift turns and hungry looks of women entering the store.

Not only was he a disgraced prince turned homeless, he was now a thief.

Could his situation get any worse?

0o0o0

They watched the Avalonian prince from afar. Far enough not be detected by the prince's charm of protection. It had not taken them long to discover that there was only one other place His Highness would go and that was Earth. They had seen him with that girl and wondered if she was helping him. So far they hadn't caught them together again but it would do no good if they left loose ends for the prince to escape from.

After all, they had underestimated him once and had escaped. There wouldn't be a second time.

The earth girl must be eliminated in order for them to finish the job.

Silently, they left for Avalonia. They had things to finish there as well.

0o0o0

Her long white blond hair drifted softly in the water with the ripples. Her hands clutched tightly on the edge of the well before she resurfaced for breath. Now her hair was filled with water and the diadem had become crooked over her forehead.

"Where are you, my brother?" she asked out loud in the silence of the pavilion.

She dipped in a hand briefly to swish the water before walking down the bridge of the pavilion. The pavilion and the bridge was the only building on the isle if it could be called that. While there was land, the majority of it was water. Sacred water. This isle was one of the small ones that connected to the bigger island that was once known on earth as "Avalon."

As the eldest daughter of the Queen, she had been given the sacred isles to rule.

She is the Lady of the Lake.

Her hair plastered to her face, the diadem crooked, the Lady did not look like royalty. Her white robes dragged on the floor but she did not care as she gazed out toward the mainland, towards the High Palace. It was there that trouble and chaos reigned for now. Her Queen Mother had summoned her last night and formally requested that she cast her Sight around to see if she could find the lost prince.

"Why can't I see you?" she said softly, her golden eyes downcast as she bit her lips in worry.

The wrath of the Queen would have to be suffered as the Lady did not find her brother at all.

Which meant one thing-he was gone from this world.

Swans gathered on the bridge scattered into the water as she drew closer. In grief of her brother's unknown fate, she glanced at the ripples and splashes of the water as the swans dived.

And she saw the flowing fiery hair of a girl. The flash of a sly grin and the worried face of her brother.

Most important of all, she saw the trail of a rising star.

_What does all this mean?_

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><p>AN- Getting there! Hopefully all of you liked this chapter. A small spoiler for next chapter- jordan! What do you think about this story- eh? good? What the hell? Let me know.

Til next time...

*- the name of the Earth Coalition currency. Its probably just my ignorance for which I apologize in advance but I figured euros and dollars are the strongest currency right now. Since euros are stronger than dollars, it comes first hence eulars.


	5. The Deal with Promises

A/N- Another chapter up! I hope to be halfway done with this story by August, so fingers crossed. I've been busy lately but I'm hoping to get enough time to reply back to reviews.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed/alerted!

To warn you-this chapter begins two years earlier, at the end of the Oban race. And I lied. Jordan appears briefly.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter <span>4- The deal with Promises

"Molly!"

The clear soft regal voice stopped Eva in her tracks as her heart pounded fast. She turned to see Prince Aikka running up to her as others turned to look at them.

The idea of them being watched by strangers, friends, and overprotective people made her blush in mortification.

"Yes, Prince Aikka?" she replied softly so others wouldn't hear their conversation.

He stopped in front of her and gave her that smile she favored, the smile she dubbed hers. He does not notice the curious eyes staring at them, the vague obvious way of knowing that someone was eavesdropping gone from him. Then again, he was royal, the heir of a kingdom and was thus used to the invasion of privacy.

"I did not personally congratulate you on your victory, Molly." Prince Aikka said leaning towards her.

"Thanks. You almost passed me though so I can't say if I deserve this win." She said, winking at him, her blush lessening.

His smile grew.

"You do me great honor, Molly. This is why I would like to honor you with something as well."

"Yes?"

Eva's heart thudded as he leaned even closer and she willed herself not to blush as he stared intensely in her eyes. Damn, could he be about to kiss her? But he seemed like an old-fashioned prince at times so wasn't kissing her actually dishonoring her?

"One day, I will show you my kingdom." He promised, grasping her hand softly as his eyes let up in pride at the mention of Nourasia.

At this, Eva smiled and blurted, "Really?"

Oh well...that damn imaginative mind of hers overeacted again.

Prince Aikka nodded and Eva said, "Don't forget Aikka! I'll be waiting."

"Of course not!" said Prince Aikka, offensive at the idea.

Before parting, they did their usual fist bump and smiled. Each waved once more as they reached their own capsule. While Aikka did not noticed, Eva did noticed that Aikka's trainer glared at her before slightly nodding in her direction. After all, she did get Jordan to defend Aikka from Kross during the final race.

Jordan stared at her as well as the other members of the Earth team but luckily none of them said anything. Silently they all boarded the capsule to go back to Earth.

Eva watched as the planet Oban became smaller and the rest of the capsules drifted away. She tried to keep her eyes on the Nourasian capsule but when she blinked her eyes, it was gone.

As the team returned to earth, she dreamed of the idea of Nourasia and how it must look. She dreamed as any other teenage girl dreamed, even a tomboy girl herself, of falling in love in a exotic place.

Even then Eva should have known promises were always broken.

After all, hadn't she herself broken many?

0o0o0

As the train screeched to a stop, a young man with two-toned hair got up and flung a backpack over one shoulder. He got off the train and followed the crowd of civilians toward the exit to the city.

He was taller, more mature, and his eyes were slightly haunted as all who were in the military tended to have. He was more muscular too and the uniform made all the women do a double take.

However he was oblivious to the stares as he tried to get a cab to take him deep into the capital.

"It's my chance now, Princey Boy." He said, staring up at the sky.

Flinging his backpack in the cab first, he got in and said, "To the military base in the capital."

As the cab drove through the traffic, Jordan C. Wilde was quiet, thinking of all that had happened in the last two years and wondered if Molly-or rather Eva now-changed at all.

0o0o0

The evening breeze softly ruffled his clothes as he placed his hands on the balcony and stared up at the stars. He did this whenever he could, in hope of gathering the courage and fiery spirit the stars reminded him of.

From the Audience Hall drifted snippets of conversation as well as the occasional couple taking a "walk" in the royal gardens. They bowed to Prince Aikka as they passed by but he took no notice of them.

Instead he was trying to figure out how to overcome the obstacle his parents have just put in front of him. He glanced behind him, his slightly long hair moving flowingly to the other side.

She was still there unfortunately.

Zukina, daughter of the King's favorite war general, waited for him shyly at the doorway to the balcony. Prince Aikka should've been happy that he had gotten the chance of knowing who his bride-to-be was instead of suffering the fate of his parents who had met each other at their wedding day.

However, one other girl still held his fascination even two years later.

Molly, the earth princess with a star tattoo on her cheek, who rose up to be known throughout the galaxy as the winner of Oban.

Even here in Nourasia, Molly's name is whispered in awe by men and women. In fact, it was because of Molly's bravery during Oban that Nourasian women dared to push the boundaries of traditions and society. It was because of her bravery and determination against Kross that Prince Aikka had the guts to say to his father, "Let this alliance with the Crogs be done."

Now Prince Aikka could truly say they were free. By the first anniversary of the Oban race, the Crogs had been forced into the orbit of Nourasia. By the second, all of Nourasia was restored to its former glory. In the vision of the eye, it seemed as if nothing had happened to disturb the peace of the kingdom.

However, the effects were still there. There are more guards around the city and the King has announced the betrothal of his only heir, Prince Aikka.

He entered the Audience Hall and escorted Zukina to the center of the room where his parents were waiting. He tried not to flinch when his father announced his betrothal and the court clapped in joy.

After all, what the hell had he been thinking anyway?

Molly probably only liked him as a friend and even if there had been something more, one thing was certain on Nourasia-Royals never married commoners. Even less were foreigners.

So Prince Aikka smiled gently at his future wife, raised her hand, and kissed it.

He only hoped it would be the last promise he would ever break.

* * *

><p>AN- So it was originally going to be Jordan and then Eva, but then Aikka butted in and it became mostly Eva and Aikka. To Jordan fans, he will show up more later on.

Aikka will appear throughout the story as what happens to him has to be explained for if I ever get to the sequel I planned.

Please review! It makes me more motivated to update *laughs*

Til next time...


	6. The Black Sheep

A/N- Hey everyone! :)

So, yeah...I am putting this story first because it is already written out to the beginning of the sequel. Unfortunately for Moon Inheritance, the outline had been erased and I am stuck writing it. So since this story is more fresher in my mind, I will finish this one.

Rest assure all of you that once this story is finished, I will go and try my damnest hardest to finally finish The Moon Inheritance. However, please enjoy this one as well.

Thank you.

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><p><em>The Reluctance of Rising from the Ashes<em>

Chapter 4 - Black Sheep

"Interesting…very interesting."

Eva tried her best not to roll her eyes as her friends stared at the psychic Elena with newfound respect. She never believed in horoscopes, destiny, palm readings, etc. As far as she knew, you took your fate in your own hands and make it.

"There is grief etched deeply in here along with a significant event, hmm, maybe two years ago?" asked the psychic, looking up at Eva for confirmation. The psychic was reading Eva's future in the tarot cards.

She nodded, barely.

"Three times your star will rise in history, three times you will find yourself at a crossroads, and three times you will find love. So far, your star has risen once and the second time is coming." announced the psychic Elena with dramatic flair.

"What does that mean?" asked the twins in unison.

"It means Eva here is already remembered once for something...a significant event...not here but where else?" Elena peered more closely at the cards to find out where. Eva paled, could this psychic really tell that she was the winner of Oban?

"Maybe in a another country?" Sarah suggested.

"Perhaps." mused Elena as she continued with the reading,"Interesting….grief is etched deeply with the times you'll become famous." Pausing, Elena looked up to see the doubt and disbelief on Eva's face before she could mask it.

"You don't believe your destiny? By what I can see from your palms from the first event…. you recovered that which you have lost a long time ago."

At this Eva's eyes widen but shrugged it off. Psychics were ambigous about their predictions she told herself. So people could believe them and pay more. Where the hell was all that "you'll meet a tall dark stranger" crap that was typical? Eva Wei would rather jump off a bridge than admit it but she perfered that type of prediction rather the one she was getting now.

As if sensing her thoughts, Elena added,"Also, I see a tall fair stranger in your near future. He'll sweep you off your feet and disrupt your life but nonetheless, very good-looking. I see a passionate love looming in close for you but many obstacles."

There it was.

After that, Elena moved on to tell Sarah her future and all of them paid their fee before leaving. Just before Eva went through the doors however, the pyschic stopped her.

"Oh, Eva, a moment?"

She turned and the pyschic smiled at her.

"When at the crossroads, don't be afraid. Have courage."

0o0o0

Though it was sort of mean to admit, Eva had completely forgotten the time and the fact that she had a guest coming over that day. That's why Sarah's comment immediately threw her off and she blinked in confusion.

"Hey, who's that hottie in front of your house?" asked Sarah, taking off her sunglasses for a clearer look.

Samara and Eva quickly turned to see a young man standing on the porch steps of Eva's house. He look to be muscular, wore military attire, and his hair was half light and half dark.

He also looked slightly familiar and Eva wondered who did she know that was in the military? The answer came very quickly.

"Jordan!" she exclaimed in surprise.

Her friends jumped at the sudden sound of her voice and Jordan's head raised up to see who was calling his name.

A smile quickly bloomed on his face.

"Eva!"

Without thinking of it more, she launched herself at him and tried to hug the life out of him, causing him to laugh and spin her around. He set her down and gave her a quick look over before smiling.

"You look great. How are you?" he asked, interested.

"Oh, we're fine, just like yourself." interrupted Samara as she boldly gave Jordan a lingering lookover before smirking at him.

"What?" stammered Jordan before blushing.

Sarah and Eva laughed.

0o0o0

Jordan stayed for a week and it was as if they were back on Oban. Minus the room sharing but it was comfortable to the point that Eva wanted to ask Jordan to request another week off but refrained from doing so.

Every so often, Eva would catch Jordan looking at her like she was priceless, something precious that he had to have, and the lingering touches he gave her occasionally confirmed it.

It was moments like these that made Eva feel uncomfortable. What should Eva say to Jordan two years after Oban? "I'm sorry for everything, my prince never showed up, so I'm settling for you?"

Although technically, she wasn't in the mood to date anybody at all but Jordan was interested and she owed him a chance.

But despite all that, despite Jordan's increasing obvious intentions, when the moment came to say goodbye to her partner again; Eva smiled and hugged him. Even though deep down, a voice whispered _Kiss him_.

She whispered back _Not yet_.

0o0o0

Queen Lyai was furious.

It is hard to tell whether it was from grief or from true anger but nonetheless she was furious. The court was in session to discuss theories on what has happened to the princes and her eldest daughter, Lady of the Lake, had announced that she had scried for Shandar but found nothing.

Now rumours were flapping around, conspiracies shared, and this was just the beginning! Soon the servants would hear and spread them to all the twelve kingdoms.

"Enough!" she demanded, and the court fell to silence. She motioned for her daughter to sit down and she does so beside Arsinoe, Queen Lyai's other daughter.

"Lady Amara had given us something very valuable. If Prince Shandar is indeed unreachable, we all must assume the logical-he has moved on." said the Queen.

"But what if Prince Shandar had fled to another planet?" asked Kathryn, the Queen's cousin.

They all looked to Lady Amara. She is pale from overdrawing her magic and more from the vivid whiteness of her clothes. She frowns and says, "Even then, I assume I would have Seen him since we are blood-related."

Arsinoe looks at her sharply but before Lady Amara could think about that look, Arsinoe says, "Would you still See him if he is being hidden?"

"No." she said before turning to look at Arsinoe and continuing, "What are you trying to say, my Lady Sister?"

The whole court became silent and Queen Lyai motioned to her daughter to speak. Hesitating, Arsinoe stood up and gathered up her strength to speak.

"What are the chances that out of all the princes, Shandar is unharmed and flees? We all know our own history, compared to that, are four dead princes worriedsome? Queen Mother, it saddens my heart to point this out, but it will not be the first time a royal had killed another for the throne." she cried out, tears beginning to form at the corner of her eyes.

At this, the court exploded into heavy debate, denials, and cries of confirmation.

The mask of her face shattering, Queen Lyai turned to her consort. Only King Eshma could see the worry and pain this was causing her, and clasped her hand in comfort.

"We will find Shandar and we will know the events. Nonetheless, prepare yourself, my Queen." he whispered.

Amara, Lady of the Lake and Princess of Avalonia, could only sit there in stunned silence as the peace that had conquered Avalonia for more than decades shattered into pieces.

0o0o0

While others were busy in preparing themselves for the college life, Eva wandered lazily about downtown. Her father had been disappointed to learn that Eva wasn't immediately going to college but backpack around the world for a year by herself instead.

Everything was set for her trip in two weeks and Eva was taking the opportunity to take in the city and tag along with Pancake, hoping she doesn't end up nearly getting arrested like the first time she met him.

A dress caught her eye, and Eva immediately moved towards the window display. She bumped into someone with white-blonde hair and mumbled an apology, never noticing that someone had stopped in shock at her. Eva decided to try on the dress and entered the store.

.

.

.

A quick glamour spell prevented him being seen by the traitors following the earthian girl that had bumped into him. With her unique features-redhaired, face tattoos-it had been easy to recognize her at once and perhaps, easy for them to find her.

He followed them silently from afar as they followed after the girl. As she began to head down an alley, he noticed one take out a small dagger as they too, entered the alley, and tensed.

The girl will be killed. Innocent blood will be on his hands and he couldn't let that happen. He would have to risk getting caught in order to help her.

But none of them expected the girl to suddenly turn around, fiery anger obvious on her face as she harshly and bluntly asked, "Are you following me?"

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><p>AN- Please review. :)


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